Mischief Managed
Song Stuck In my Head: Mamma Mia - ABBA
Remus Lupin had always struggled with lying. Or maybe, Remus just had trouble lying to friends who were a bit too clever for their own good.
In their second year, Remus continued to hide the truth of what he really was to everyone, including James, Sirius, and Peter. He'd rehearsed excuses and stories so many times that by this point, he almost believed them himself. His mother really was sick. His father desperately needed help at home. It wasn't until October of his second year that these stories started to fall apart.
"If your mum is sick so often, why isn't she in Mungo's?" asked Sirius as he played catch with himself on his four-poster bed.
"It's not bad enough to hospitalize her," he explained. "Mungo's only takes the worst cases."
"Why can't your dad look after her?" asked James.
"He does. I just like to be home. I'm her only son."
"I'm an only son, too, and if I went home whenever my mum was sick and missed classes, she'd throw a wobbly," said James.
"Mine too," Peter had added, suddenly becoming more interested in their conversation.
"My family's… different," was all Remus could come up with.
"Bollocks," James replied flatly.
Remus blanked. He wasn't used to being challenged. "They just want me home for a bit, I don't need to explain it to you."
"Well, can I have a guess at what's really going on?" asked James.
"If you must," Remus grumbled.
James looked to Sirius, who nodded once and rose to a seated position. James stood and crossed over to stand beside Remus' bed. He was less than a foot away from Remus' face when he said, "You're a werewolf."
"No, I'm not," scoffed Remus, attempting to be casual even as his face drained of color.
"No, I reckon that's spot on," Sirius added, tossing his ball to the side and jumping up to stand beside James. "You always come back looking roughed up and sick," he added. "Worse than when you left, actually…"
"And it's every month on the full moon that you turn up missing or ill," James added.
Remus had swallowed heavily and shook his head. "No… that's not… you're wrong."
"And you're a bad liar," James had said. "You're a werewolf."
Remus swallowed, staying still for a long time. He said nothing. Finally, he stood, pushing past them and over to where his trunk was. He started pulling things out of drawers and putting them back in his trunk.
Sirius scoffed. "What d'you think you're doing?"
"I'm … I'm leaving," said Remus quietly.
"What for?" asked James, coming over and pulling a shirt from Remus' hands. They wrestled with it for a moment and when James won, he threw the shirt back into the wardrobe.
"Because… you're right," Remus admitted. "You're right…I'm…" his voice became very quiet and thick with shame. "I'm a werewolf, and-"
"So? That's no reason to go scarpering off somewhere," Sirius laughed.
"Right," said James. "We don't care," he announced, speaking confidently for the other two boys in the room. Sirius nodded in agreement, as did Peter, although he'd looked a little more nervous than Sirius or James did.
"What? You… come off it," Remus scoffed, still packing his trunk. "No one wants a werewolf around. And even if you don't care, no one will want to be around me once they- "
"Who says we're going to tell anyone?" Sirius scoffed. "What kind of friends do you think we are?"
Remus paused, stepping back when James slammed his trunk shut. "Yeah, we're not gonna rat you out! We don't care, we were just curious as to what you were getting up to every month, that's all," he said.
Remus swallowed, looking at James who had an amused expression on his face. "You… you don't care?"
"Nah, mate," he said, clapping Remus on the shoulder. "It's not like you chose it."
Remus felt hopeful, he chanced a small smile at James who grinned back reassuringly. Sirius crossed the room again, eyeing Remus with a curious expression. "'Course we have some questions," he admitted. "I mean, where do you go?"
Remus wasn't going anywhere right now. Right now, he was standing by Lily watching her count ingredients and thinking about how he was not good at keeping things from James, Sirius, or Peter. He wondered how Lily hid all she knew from Julia and Mary. She'd not only been able to keep Remus' condition and the existence of three unregistered Animagi a secret, but she'd managed to come up with cover stories on the spot every time Julia asked where she was going in the evenings.
"Watched Quidditch practice," she'd said one night. Another night it was "Slughorn wanted to ask me about my plans after Hogwarts." She'd said she was "tutoring a few first years in Charms," one afternoon and that she was "practicing with Professor Columba," just last night. Effortless and easily accepted. It was almost unnerving how well she could lie.
"I'm not lying," she'd explained to Remus. "I really have been doing those things, just not as long as I say I have been."
"Where do you want me to meet you tonight?" he asked. When they'd stolen ingredients from Slughorn's stores, some of them had ended up in Remus' bag until Lily found a place to brew the potion in secret. Tonight, while everyone was distracted by the Halloween party, she was going to sneak up there and drop off the remaining ingredients so would be in place.
"Seventh floor across from that old tapestry with the trolls," she explained.
"What room?"
"The room that's right there."
"No really, what room?"
"What do you mean 'what room?'"
Remus looked confused. "There's no room there."
Lily laughed a little before returning his confused look. "Um, yes there is. I've been taking stuff up there for the last few days. My cauldron is in there, and all of my ingredients and-"
"No, there really isn't," he insisted. "We've been all over this castle. I'd know if there was a room there."
"Have you been charting it down as you go?" she teased. "Are you making map? A Marauder's Map?"
Remus froze. He knew she didn't know about that, James would never allow it. She was just being witty. "Perhaps. Cartography could suit me as a profession. But I swear there isn't a room there."
"You'll see tonight," she insisted. "The door is a bit tricky to find, but it's there."
She must know what she's talking about, he thought. "If it's ineffective, it won't be any different than a normal night, right?"
Lily nodded. "That's what Belby says."
"What if you mix the ingredients wrong?" asked Remus in a worried voice.
"Then it's poison… but I won't," she reassured him. "Really, I won't. Potions are something I understand, and I've got the directions memorized. Plus, Slughorn taught me a warming charm that he uses to for long simmering potions. And there are all kinds of tests and spells you can do on it, it'll be fine. But…you don't have to take it if you don't want to," she reminded him.
"You're putting in all this effort, it seems kind of unfair considering- "
"Considering nothing," Lily interjected. "This is your life, Remus, your body. It's your choice."
He nodded. "I'll take it. It's worth a chance, right?"
She agreed. After all, it was Halloween and they might as well take advantages of the few freedoms being offered.
It had been an interesting week leading up to Halloween. No one had any sort of proof, but Lily knew it was James, Sirius, and Peter who had managed to sabotage the bathrooms for Slytherin house. The toilets regurgitated their contents and the sinks sprayed soapy water at anyone who came in, whether they were using the facilities or not. The Slytherins' had also been late for class after the portrait guarding their dormitory had been bewitched to not let anyone in or out until they said "Please" and "Thank you."
"Well, I did say the lot of them could stand to learn some manners. Apparently, the portrait agrees with me," was all Sirius had said when confronted with it. The jinx had been well placed; it took Slughorn two days to undo it.
Someone had also jinxed several suits of armor to jump out at passersby and douse them in fake spiders, bats, or glitter. Lily wasn't sure if this had been students or the professors as Dumbledore had been highly amused by it.
She and Remus managed to avoid the suits on their walk back to the Common Room. But not everyone was so lucky. Just after they got inside, Julia came storming in, Mary sniggering uncontrollably behind her.
"What happened?" asked Lily.
"She squealed and threw a fit when that suit of armor at the bottom of the stairs got her," Mary laughed, imitating Julia's flailing and screaming.
Julia pulled a fake spider out of her hair and glared at Mary. "Potter and Black is what happened," she snarled. "I hate spiders."
"Oi," Sirius called from the stair steps. "Who says it was Potter and Black?"
"It seems like the kind of thing you'd do," Julia called back, still pulling fake spiders out of her hair.
"I suspect it could have been anyone… it may have even been me," Sirius replied in an ironic tone as he walked down the stairs. He looked serene in magnificent purple robes and was stroking a long white beard. Glasses that looked just like James' sat end of his nose. His normally coal black hair was greyish white and a large purple wizard's hat sat lopsided on his head.
Julia grinned. "If you're going to dress like Dumbledore, you need to act and talk like Dumbledore all night."
"I'm feeling that tonight, yes… tonight… that will not be a problem," he mused, in a passible imitation of Dumbledore's voice. "And where, pray tell, is your costume, Ms. Tottleham?"
"Got it on," she explained, dramatically opening her cloak. She was wearing a knee length dress covered in brown and white feathers. The sleeves extended over her finger tips and spread out along her back to look like wings. "Just have to get the mask."
"May I enlist your services for the evening?" asked Sirius, stroking his beard. "It seems I may need the assistance of an owl if James Potter doesn't return soon."
"Yeah, where is he?" asked Peter as he came down the stairs. He was dressed as a ghoul, face pale green color and clothes tattered up and covered in mud. He'd transfigured his teeth so they were all different sizes, and somehow gouged large pockmarks into his skin.
"Nice work, Pettigrew," Lily said admirably.
"Thanks," he grinned.
Sirius considered him thoughtfully. "Your spell work is improving, Mr. Pettigrew. In short time I expect you will receive- "
"… only because you cleared this with me, Potter," Alice's voice was saying. She and James stepped through the portrait hole. Her face, neck, and arms were all grey and her short hair had been curled and had ivy leaves interspaced throughout the strands. She was wearing a grey colored dress and sandals like those worn by a few of the statues throughout the halls.
"All the other houses are throwing parties," insisted James. "It's only fair, plus your Head Girl! We can celebrate. It'll be fun!"
"I know," she agreed, sounding a little wary. "I just don't want any grief from McGonagall. Hopefully she's in a cheery mood."
"I heard a rumor that Frank is stopping by," he teased while Alice blushed. "I expect that'll make her happy."
"Mr. Potter," Sirius called in his Dumbledore voice. "Ms. Fawley… I see you have gathered the requirements for the festivities? We have Butterbeer, Honeydukes chocolate, sugar mice, blood pops… all the makings of a glorious celebration."
"We're having a party?" Julia said excitedly.
"A small one," Alice emphasized, still looking at Sirius. "That's brilliant, Black… it really is."
Lily could see Sirius grinning smugly behind his beard and fought back a smirk. "I'll catch you down there, Jules," she said before walking up the stairs.
"Oi, Evans!" James called, leaping after her and stopping just at the bottom of the staircase. "Dinner?"
Lily paused, turning over her shoulder to look at his eager face. "Save me a seat," she replied a little shyly.
James nodded, looking hopeful. "Better go and change," he said, bounding across the room and snatching Sirius' hat off his head as he went. Peter laughed and darted after him.
"Dear me!" Sirius exclaimed, racing after James. "Mr. Potter, it is essential that I have my hat! I cannot function without my hat! It holds my brain in!"
"I need to get changed too," Mary muttered, rolling her eyes at Julia's sniggering. Remus had sat down in a chair and started looking over one of his books, but stood a few moments later and walked towards the boys' dormitory.
Julia cleared her throat loudly, catching his attention just as he started up the stairs. "You two were off together again," she mused.
"You're keen to find out what we're up to," he replied. "Which is nothing. She helps me with potions."
"Oh, she's helping you with potions, is she? Where have I heard something like that before?" asked Julia.
"What-?" Remus began, a little confused. "Do you think I'm off… snogging her?" he scoffed incredulously.
"Well, I thought you were saving that for Pitchfield," Julia mused, "so I wasn't sure… Lily does think a lot of you, you know."
"Not like that!" Remus protested.
"No. But, you two sneaking off together… it's going to make James jealous," she mused.
He scoffed. "Prongs isn't going to get jealous of me. He knows there's nothing going on."
"What is Prongs?" asked Julia, slightly irritated. "What is Padfoot for that matter? James always calls Sirius that."
"It's the wet dog smell," he muttered. "He smells like a wet dog."
"He does not," laughed Julia. "I've been close enough to smell him, and he doesn't – "
"Speaking of which," Remus pressed, "What is going on there? Are you two- "
"We just are," said Julia, cutting him off. "I can't explain it… not right now."
Remus eyed her curiously. "All right, then…"
Julia regarded him with a curious expression. "Well, if you really are getting help with potions, tell me you'll brew a love potion antidote and just… keep it on hand."
"I can do that," Remus said, narrowing his eyes. "Why would I need-?"
"I didn't say it was for you," Julia noted, walking towards the stair steps to the girls' dormitory. "But… I have a funny feeling this rumor that won't go away is more than a rumor."
Remus watched her go, making a mental note to repay Lily by keeping some love potion antidote on hand.
Floating pumpkins decorated the ceiling of the Great Hall as students in costumes filled in. James was adjusting his dress robes and hat. He was wearing his red Quidditch cloak and arm guards, and had managed to find an old doublet in one of the hidden passage ways. He'd dyed it red and gold and conjured a sword to carry on his belt. He'd also bewitched his hat to be tawny rather than black and a bit tattered looking.
"Look what it can do," he said to Remus as they sat towards the front end of the Gryffindor table. He placed the hat upon Remus' head and waited.
"The mind of a wolf, the heart of a lion… Gryffindor!" the hat shouted, drawing some curious looks from the crowd around.
Remus laughed a little nervously while Sirius looked on impressed. "Do me," he said.
"I'd rather you buy me dinner first," James replied, tossing the hat on Sirius' head.
"Courage here… courage to stand by your convictions… Gryffindor!" his hat bellowed. Several people at the Hufflepuff table crowded over and let James put it on their head. Each time it made a random exclamation, then shouted the appropriate house for the wearer.
"This is brilliant!" Sam Pitchfield was saying, placing her own hat back on her head after she'd tried James' on. "That's impressive magic." She had dressed as Rowena Ravenclaw, wearing a blue cloak and midnight blue dress underneath with silver jewelry.
"It truly is," said Dumbledore. Even he'd come down to look at James' hat, but ended up just looking over Sirius' costume with an amused expression. "They do say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Mr. Black. I am quite flattered tonight," he noted.
"Thanks, Professor," Sirius chuckled. "I expect it's the first time I've been able to do that."
"Well, I'm sure it won't be the last," Dumbledore said with a wink. "Mr. Potter, you and Ms. Pitchfield should get together with Mr. Mulciber and Ms. Dunford and take a picture, seeing as how the four of you are dressed as Founders of our school," he mused.
"Er… yeah, sure," said James. Dumbledore walked away, and James leaned closer to Sam. "I'd rather face a regurgitating toilet than take a picture with Mulciber," he muttered.
"Me as well," Sam admitted. "That trick with the sinks was brilliant, by the by."
Sirius scoffed. "I hope it washed a few of their mouths out," he grumbled.
Sam frowned a little. "Yeah, he and Avery were after me the other day during Herbology," she explained. "'Let the Mudblood handle the Tentacula; dirty blood so it won't bite her.'"
"They're idiots," Remus said from across the table.
"I know," she murmured, smiling at him. "I like your costume, Newt Scamander."
Remus smiled, messing up his ginger colored hair before he pulled out a bowtruckle he'd gotten from Hagrid. Sam leaned close to get a better look, taking off her wizard hat so as not to frighten the little creature.
"May I have everyone's attention, please?" Dumbledore called from the front of the room, causing all the students to take their seats. "Good evening to you all. I'm very pleased to see so many taking advantage of the holiday to imitate their favorite characters, animals, beasts, and beings… you've all done a splendid job.
"I mentioned earlier in the year that any students who had experience with a musical instrument or wished to learn should approach Professor Columba. Though there were only four, Professor Columba has been very pleased with their efforts to practice while keeping up with their studies. So, before we begin dinner, we've arranged for a short performance. Professor Columba, you and your students have the floor."
The tall astronomy professor stood, motioning to four students who were standing along the sidelines to come up. Several people had climbed on top of the tables for a better look, making it hard to see who all was up there.
"Blimey, look at Evans," muttered Peter, his eyes widening a little. Sirius looked interested and Julia laughed when James stood straight up on top of the table.
Lily's hair was braided delicately around the nape of her neck and she was wearing a gold dress that came to her knees and was slightly fitted at the waist. The sleeves ran down her arms and there were pieces of translucent white fabric that ran from her shoulders down to her fingers to form wings.
"She's an… angel?" Mary asked Julia, who shook her head.
"No," Julia said a little slyly. "But I bet Potter can guess what she is, since he gave her the idea."
"She's a snitch," he laughed a little, watching her with wide eyes as she fiddled with knobs on the side of the wooden instrument. On the stage with her was Olive Carson from Ravenclaw, Leland Marchbanks from Hufflepuff, and a seventh-year girl with dark hair he didn't recognize. Lily put the wooden instrument under her chin and took out what looked like an extra-long wand.
"So, that's a … violin?" he asked, watching as Julia nodded.
"Yeah," Mary confirmed.
"And she never told any of you she played until this year?"
Julia laughed and shook her head. "Not one of us."
"I'm surprised I hadn't figured it out…" James muttered.
"She'd only told one other person from school. Why would you know?" asked Mary.
"Because he's been stalking the fox since third year," Sirius shrugged. Julia shot him a look. "What?" he asked. "You are too, and you know that, but Evans' looks fit."
James pursed his lips, looking back up at the stage where the four students were standing. Lily and Leland both had violins, Olive had a slightly smaller one, and the other girl had a large instrument that she required her to sit in order to play. The song they played was slow and deep, the contrasts in the instruments were nice to listen too. The song didn't last long, just a minute or two, but James watched Lily the entire time. The way her eyes closed as she leaned into the instrument, how her body swayed as she played. She seemed almost ethereal.
Everyone clapped when the song ended, and during the clapping James saw the unknown girl mouthing something to Lily. They both turned to Columba, who nodded and gestured for them to continue.
A broad smile broke out on Lily's face as she pulled her violin to her chin again. Leland seemed amused while Olive was overly focused. The unknown girl also had a grin and James saw her count out a pattern before they started playing.
A few seconds in Sirius perked up, as did several others in the hall. "I know this song," said Remus suddenly, with a laugh.
"So do I," chuckled Sirius. "Heard it on the muggle radio a few times."
"They're playing a muggle song?" asked Mary incredulously.
"Oh, now I recognize it," said Julia. "It's that Swedish band."
"What is it?" James asked a little more forcefully than he had intended.
"I don't remember the name… it's … Abra? Something like that," Julia replied, shaking her head trying to remember.
"I can't remember, but I know I've heard this song before," said Remus.
James pursed his lips, listening to the melody and watching Lily intently. She had a small smile on her face and closed her eyes when the song slowed, though it rarely did. He had no way of knowing if she was good or not, but the song was pretty, and she seemed to really enjoy playing.
They ended the piece then stood and faced the crowd while students and teachers clapped for them. "Thank all four of you for sharing that with us," Dumbledore grinned. "Now… the part that everyone has waited so patiently for… dinner."
And with a wave of his hands food appeared at the table and everyone began pulling things onto their plates. There were so many choices: pumpkin crusted pork, roast beef, dark green peas with pearled onions, roasted red potatoes and green vegetables. But none of it interested James. He was watching Lily talk with the other members of her quartet, trying to keep his eyes fixed on her face instead of the parts of skin her dress left uncovered. He knew there was more hiding under those cloaks; there always was. The Hogwarts dress code begged for impropriety, but Lily had always managed to look beautiful and graceful in them. In this outfit she was beautiful and…
"A bit sexy, you think?" asked Sirius through a mouthful of food. "You keep staring that way you might burn her clothes right off."
James blushed a little, averting his eyes for a moment, then fixing them on her again as she made her way across the hall. Linghold called out to her, as did Aubrey, and she stopped to speak with them and Pitchfield for a moment before winding her way to the Gryffindor table.
"Fantasizing about kissing her?" asked Mary in a whisper, pushing her cat ears back atop her head.
"Among other things," Julia sniggered.
James made a face. "What kind of a deviant do you think I am?" he asked. "Lily is a beautiful young lady and I have never had a single improper-"
"I think he's picturing a bit more than kissing, if you ask me," Sirius interjected with a laugh. James opened his mouth to retort, but then closed it again when Lily sat down at the table.
"Nice job," Remus said brightly. "Whose idea was it to play a muggle song?"
Lily looked a pink and little breathless. "Oh, that," she laughed. "That was actually Dorcas' idea. She mentioned she'd found sheet music for all sorts of muggle songs and we thought it'd be funny. I wonder if anyone else recognized it."
"These three knew it," said Mary, gesturing towards Sirius, Remus, and Julia. "But the rest of us were in the dark."
"You sounded really good," said James earnestly.
"Thanks," she said, flashing him a brilliant smile. James screamed a little inside. "I saw your hat trick. That's really clever."
"Want to try it?" offered James.
"Later," she said, pulling a plate in front of her. "Right now, I want to eat."
James grinned and began to pull food onto his own plate. They ate mostly in silence for a few minutes, someone punctuating it every so often with a question or a comment about the décor, the meal, or the performances beforehand. Lily acted rather shy, which surprised James, but he couldn't fault her for it. In fact, he was feeling a bit awkward himself in his doublet and Quidditch robes. He kept stealing furtive glances in her direction, admiring the cleverness of her costume and the way her skin seemed to glow in the candlelight.
"I like your costume," he said after a while when he was starting to get full.
"I like it too," she grinned. "The dress was easy; the wings took forever to get right."
"I should have dressed as a Seeker," he said. "You're exactly the type of snitch I'd like to catch."
Lily smiled, her cheeks turning pink. She fiddled with a small necklace she had on before looking at him. "I'm surprised you're the only Godric Gryffindor at our table."
"Me too," he agreed, looking around at the numerous lions, foxes, and other animals that were seated throughout the hall. Some people in his house had went as the Wimbourne Wasps Quidditch team, a few others were vampires or zombies, but there were mostly animals at the Gryffindor table.
"And Remus, the bowtruckle is nice," she laughed as it peeked out of Remus' suit pocket. "What prompted Newt Scamander?"
Remus shrugged. "Magical creatures. I should learn how to care for myself," he said very quietly.
Lily laughed and James grinned, feeling happy that she was in on the secret and the inevitable jokes. James had noticed she'd been spending a lot of time with Remus as of late, but it was nice that he had another friend and Lily wasn't interested in him. He liked Pitchfield, Not Lily. They'd just been hanging out a lot recently…
"Lils, who was the other girl?" asked Julia. "I didn't recognize her."
"Neither did I," James added, distracting himself from his strangely irritated thoughts.
"That's Dorcas Meadowes. She's in Slytherin, so it was kind of funny we had one person from each house that could play a string instrument. She's got her moments where she's… she likes to come out on top of things, but she's actually nice. I like her."
James looked over at the Slytherin table. Dorcas was seated next to one other girl and it seemed like they pretty much stuck together. The rest of their table seemed to shun them almost.
"She's not… Muggle-born, is she?" asked Peter.
"I don't know what she is. Never asked," Lily shrugged.
"It doesn't matter," mused James. "I'm so used to the lot of them being horrible, but she didn't look bad."
"No, she's really nice. She and I had been playing the longest, so we had a lot to talk about. It took me a while to warm up to her," Lily admitted. "But now I like her a lot. She stops me in the hall sometimes and we play together a lot."
"Ah, well, the hat insists every year they aren't all bad," Sirius said with a shrug. "And look at Slughorn, he's not awful."
Lily nodded in agreement, pulling one of the pumpkin pasties off the tray that appeared in front of them. "So, what's next?" she asked.
"I don't know, but if it's boring, we've got party supplies for the common room," said James.
"Perfect," Lily smiled. "I could use some laughs after the week we've had."
Everyone around them agreed, discussing the difficulty of classes and the overload of assignments that had been given on Friday. James found himself staying quiet, still fixated on Lily and her costume. He tugged at one of the wings and she eyed him over her shoulder. "Took me ages to rig those up, Potter. I'll hex you if you break them."
"Well, we wouldn't want that," he replied with a grin. He looked up at her face, her bright green eyes. A strand of hair had fallen onto her cheek. She looked like some piece of artwork he'd seen, or some picture he'd found in one of the many muggle magazines Sirius kept hidden in his trunk. "You look really… pretty," he said, settling on the word that seemed least intense. "I mean it, Lily."
She sat up taller, looking pleased but also shy as she crossed her legs and leaned her chin in her hand to look back at him. It was the first time James could remember using her name rather than just her surname. "You look nice too, James."
James. She'd said it, his actual name. It was a whisper, but she'd said it none the less. James could feel his stomach swoop almost uncomfortably, and for a second he wondered what the real allure of being attracted to someone was. There's a lot more awkwardness than necessary, he thought to himself. A lot more stomach swooping. He wondered if it ever went away.
Then she smiled at him again, a little mischievous, a little sweet, all Lily Evans. His heart raced in his chest and he wondered why he would ever want it to.
There was a bell like noise and everyone stood up. The four long house tables disappeared and reappeared along the sides of the room, leaving a wide space in the middle. James noticed a bobbing for apples station, pumpkin carving and painting, live bats available to hold and few other activities.
"Oooh, they brought a band," said Julia excitedly, pointing up front where the table had been cleared and a small band was setting up. "That's The Portkeys!"
Alice, Marlene, and Court Huffton joined as they queued up along the edge of the floor. "Yeah!" Marlene confirmed. "Slughorn managed to get them to come; the guitarist is an old- "
"Student of his," Lily finished with a laugh.
"He's always going on about that," Marlene added. "I like your costume, Lily."
Lily grinned brightly. "Thanks," she said. "I had no idea I'd get as much attention as I have been."
"With legs like that people can't help but stare," Julia said to her in a whisper. Lily blushed and gave Julia a glare over her shoulder. James couldn't help but grin.
"I like this song," Julia said suddenly, taking Lily by the hand and pulling her onto the empty floor. It wasn't empty for long, students of all houses began to fill in and form groups as the band began to play loud and fast.
James couldn't help but observe that most of the people dancing were girls, though there was a spattering of boys on the floor. He grinned as he watched Julia and Lily amongst others. Julia was singing loudly, and Lily was laughing while moving her hips and feet in time with the music. Every now and then she'd put her arms over her head and James would notice how her dress flounced around her legs and the silvery sleeves would quiver just like a snitch's wings. Her hair was coming undone as she moved, but it made her more attractive somehow.
"Look at Linghold," Sirius was sniggering. Max Linghold had joined the area where Lily and Julia were dancing and was attempting to do the same. His arms were awkward and long and he couldn't stay on beat, but they seemed to enjoy having him all the same. Lily was laughing loudly and twirling every so often. James felt a pang of jealousy when Linghold took her hand to spin her around.
"How many left feet do you think he's got?" asked Sirius, still laughing.
"About twelve," replied James.
"At least he's using them," chuckled Mary from her seat next to Honora Price.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Peter curiously from next to Sirius.
"It means at least he's dancing," said Mary, rolling her eyes. "Girls like boys who dance… it doesn't matter if they dance well, at least they do it."
James scoffed, watching as Bertram Aubrey joined in along with Leland Marchbanks, both crowding around where Julia, Lily, and now Marlene were dancing. Court Huffton and Galen Middleset from Gryffindor were out there as well, looking tall and a little more rhythmic than the others. James saw Sam Pitchfield jump in next to Lily and start moving around. He looked around the sides of the room at everyone watching the crowd. "Everyone's staring at them… everyone would just stare at us."
"Like you're doing?" laughed Mary. "Does it look like any of them care that people are watching? No, because they're not conceited sods."
"'Scuse me?" asked Sirius.
"If you really think everyone is going to stop and just watch you dance, you're more arrogant than I thought," replied Mary. "No one cares."
"I care," said James. "I'm watching."
"Because you fancy her, Potter," said Mary matter-of-factly. "If you really liked her, you'd be out there making a fool of yourself."
James considered this, turning back to watch Lily laugh at Bertram Aubrey before taking his hands and allowing him to twirl her around in a weird pattern. Another surge of jealousy raced through him. He looked to Sirius, who also seemed to be weighing Mary's words. "Come on, then," he muttered, pushing Sirius forward.
"Are you mental?" Sirius balked. "I'm not- "
But he didn't have much of a choice after that. Julia saw them approaching and let out a squeal of delight, grabbing Sirius by the hand and pulling him in close to her. She started to move, and James let out a laugh when Sirius couldn't help but mimic her and move along. Pushing his awkwardness aside, he started to do the same, ignoring his stomach when it did a nose dive as Lily laughed at him and continued dancing.
Four songs passed. James was lucky enough to twirl Lily similarly to how Bertram had done. She'd had to give him some guidance, but he'd managed well enough. She was breathtaking now: cheeks flushed and strands of hair tumbling down over her bare shoulders. Her eyes sparkled, and she couldn't keep the smile off her face when she looked at him. James thought to himself that he'd dance like an idiot every day if it made her smile like that.
The music began to slow, and the nature of the song changed. Lily looked a little breathless, pushing her hair out of her face and laughing. "I've got to get a drink," she said breathlessly.
Julia nodded, unable to quit smiling as Sirius took her by the waist and moved her away from the crowd. Linghold picked up on the tone of the song before James did. "Come back and we'll dance," he suggested, pushing past James to catch Lily's hand. James' chest filled with irritation; he wanted to hex Max with every curse he could think of.
"Oh, I'm going to sit for a minute," she said, pulling her hand away. "I'm so thirsty…"
She gave him a gentle smile, eyes flashing to James for just a moment, then she began to walk back over to where the tables were, right towards where Remus and Peter were standing talking to Emmet Greenfield. James made to follow her, but someone seized his hand.
"Oi, Potter," laughed Felicity Flockheart, her feather clad hand squeezing his. "I didn't know you danced."
"Neither did I until just now," he admitted, still watching Lily. She downed a whole glass of pumpkin juice, then went back for another.
"Dance with me," said Felicity, tugging his sleeve for attention. James pursed his lips and looked at her. She looked pretty in a mask like Julia's, except her feathers were all black where Julia's were many colors. The eyes of the mask were also sharper, more discerning.
"A raven?" asked James curiously.
"Seemed fitting," she mused. "Dance with me."
"All right," said James, taking Felicity by the waist.
"Besides, someone's going to spike her potion at some point, so she might be a bit- "
"Hang on, this rumor keeps popping up," James interrupted. "What is it? Where did it come from? Why does everyone think I'd have been the one to do that?" he asked, a little angrier than he intended.
Over at the table, Lily had downed three glasses of pumpkin juice but still wasn't satisfied. "Why can't they just have water?" she asked.
"D'you not have a wand?" Mary laughed.
"Oh… right," said Lily, pointing her wand at her cup and filling it with water. She drank deeply, thankful for the cool, clear taste over the sugariness of the pumpkin juice.
"Hey, Mary, care to dance?" asked Peter. Mary nodded, looking rather pleased.
They walked onto the floor by where Sirius and Julia were, placing hands around shoulders and waists as you do when you're dancing. Lily smiled at the four of them, then her face fell into a bit of a frown when she saw James dancing with Felicity. Their conversation looked animated. Felicity was laughing and shaking her head and James was being very insistent about something.
"You know… that doesn't mean anything," Remus said quietly.
"What? I … I know. I don't care," she muttered, averting her eyes back to the table. Remus was grinning at her. "What? I don't! I really don't care at all. I couldn't care less."
"Who are you trying to convince?" he laughed.
"You should go dance with Sam," she suggested, looking around for her tall blue hat.
"She's over there with Rollingsfield," he replied, gesturing to the far side of the hall.
"Hmmm," Lily murmured. "You know… that doesn't mean anything."
Remus laughed. "I know… or I don't know, I guess. It's not like it matters anyway."
"What do you mean?" asked Lily, curious.
"It's not as though I… have a choice here," he muttered sadly. "I can't… I couldn't tell her. It would disgust her… I would disgust her."
"Remus," Lily said, her voice sad as she put a hand on his arm. "I think you underestimate- "
"You know, this might be a better time to sneak up there," he suggested, changing the subject. "You think?"
Lily considered this, looking around. Everyone was distracted, no one would notice them slip off. "Okay, lets," she nodded, shooting one more glance at James and Felicity before following Remus out of the hall.
The song was slowing to a finish, and James had dropped his hands from Felicity's waist but stayed close so he could listen to the rest of her story. "So, that's the what the gossip is," Felicity finished, detailing the ever-expanding rumor of someone trying to sip Lily, or several other girls in school, a love potion.
"But how did I get attached to it?" asked James as the song ended.
"Because it's wobbly obvious you fancy her," Felicity laughed. "Don't know why, but you do… and when people saw you being friendly together it just took off. Though, I don't know who started it to be honest."
James frowned, thanking Felicity for the dance before walking over to were Sirius and Julia were looking at each other mischievously. They walked back to the tables together, James scanning the hall for Lily's gold dress.
"If you're looking for her she left with Remus," said Alice from a table nearby. She was sitting glancing anxiously at the entry way to the hall, obviously looking for Frank Longbottom who had promised he'd visit her soon.
"What? Why? When?" asked Sirius curiously.
Alice shrugged. "Ten minutes ago? I bet they just went back to the common room."
Julia seemed to accept this and sat down next to Alice, pulling Sirius with her. James frowned and stared at the entry way as well. Why would they go back to the common room together when everyone else was down here?
"I don't know if I'm cut out for this dancing stuff," said Peter from beside him. "There's way too many places to put your hands… or only a few places you can put your hands. The whole thing is a bit handsy for me."
James nodded in agreement, but that's what he liked about dancing. It was nice to have your hands on a girl's waist. He'd like to have had his hands, or arms, around Lily's waist if he could. "Come on," he murmured, striding behind the tables and out of the Great Hall.
"Where're we going?" asked Peter excitedly.
"To find where Moony scarpered off too," he said. Just then, he remembered he had brought the parchment with him that had the map on it. It was still a bit fussy, but it worked some of the time. James tapped it with his wand, muttering the unlocking phrase they had charmed into it.
"Why d'you have the map?" asked Peter. "It won't help us… it still fussy."
"I think I figured it out, finally," said James. "But… not until right now…" he explained as all the charms he'd been reading over the last fortnight flooded into his head.
James and Peter stared at the map, watching as letters blossomed out like ink stains, forming hallways and secret passages. Lines settled into formation to form statues and sculptures, outlines of rooms and secret passage ways. Blots of ink and tall lines representing trees, little circles for Hagrid's hut and the paddocks around it, a giant oval for the quidditch pitch… The tracing spell repeated over and over again to form outlines of all the buildings, rooms, and passages in the castle and on the grounds…
"Homonculous Revelio," James murmured, tapping his wand over the room that represented the Great Hall. To his and Peter's delight, footprint shaped ink blots appeared throughout the Great Hall. Not only that, they were moving. Shuffling about in a giant mass, sometimes blocking other footprints so it was confusing to see how many people there were.
"Homonculous Revelio Maxima, Homonculous Revelio Infinitum," James murmured, tracing his wand along the hallways and edges of the map, causing more ink blots to appear, more foot prints, scuffling little patterns all throughout the castle.
"James that's bloody brilliant," said Peter in awe. "Bloody… it's too bad they don't have tags."
"Right," James agreed, tapping his wand thoughtfully against his lips. "I wonder… Nomen Revelare Maxima," he murmured. It took a moment, but a few names appeared by some of the foot prints, though the letters all overlapped in the Great Hall which made it hard to read. "Reperio," James continued, tapping the map in various places. As the footprints moved, so did the names, a few sputtering in and out of view.
"We'll make it prettier later," said James, frowning at the splotchy name tags.
"There," Peter blurted out, jabbing his finger into the parchment. "There's Moony…"
James peered at the set of footprints. "Why's he on the seventh floor with Evans?"
"… around here somewhere," Lily was muttering as she paced back and forth in front of the wall. Remus stood with his bag slung over his shoulder, watching her with a little frown. He was starting to wonder if she had lost it, if there even was a room. He'd told her there wasn't. She'd paced back and forth in front of the blank wall at least three times now.
"Ha! Found it," she cheered, grasping a long handle that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Lily pushed a heavy stone door open, and Remus gaped in shock, following her in to a small room he'd never seen before. It had a bench and a table along the wall. Behind the table was shelf of cauldrons, burners for heating them, and a plethora of potions ingredients. Lily took the bag from him and stuck the ingredients on the shelf with the other ones, taking an inventory as she went.
"What is this place?" asked Remus.
"It's just a room, isn't it?" Lily replied. "I just happened upon it when I was looking for a place to brew this quietly. I thought I was going to have to use the empty girls' bathroom on the first floor, but then I found this when I was wondering around."
"But… how did we get in? You couldn't find the door at first…"
Lily shrugged. "It's almost like it's… hidden. Maybe it's supposed to be. Maybe we're not supposed to be in here. When I first came in here there were no ingredients on the shelves, just the cauldrons. But if you feel along the wall for the handle it you eventually find it."
She finished her inventory then handed Remus his bag back. "I think that's it… the full moon is on the 21st right?"
"Yes," he said. "I can't say I'll be much help..."
"It's no trouble," she said brightly, walking toward the door. "We'll just see how it goes."
She pulled the heavy door shut and Remus looked back at it as they walked away. "That's a funny little room," he muttered.
Lily laughed. "It's just a potions' brewing room, or I suppose you could use it – Gah!" she yelped as another body came around the corner and collided with her.
"Hey!" James shouted, catching Lily by the waist as he steadied himself against the wall. They had run right into each other, while Peter and Remus had collided just after them. Remus was helping Peter up off the floor now as Lily righted herself. "What are you doing up here?" James asked.
"What are you doing up here?" asked Lily incredulously.
"Were you up here… snogging? Were you snogging each other?" asked Peter scandalously, looking at Remus with a confused expression.
James looked stricken. Peter had been prattling on about all the time she'd been spending with Remus as of late, wondering if since Lily knew about him, accepted him, and liked him, maybe Remus had decided to go after her instead of wistfully longing for Sam Pitchfield. James had said Remus wouldn't do this… Remus wasn't like that… Remus-
"No!" shouted Remus, giving Peter and James a confused look. "No!"
"No, we haven't!" Lily yelped at the same time, a laugh bubbling out of her throat. "Of course not! Not that… Remus, you're very handsome and all that but-"
"No, it's okay," he interrupted, giving her a knowing glance. "Feeling is mutual."
"Oh," said Peter, suddenly looking sheepish.
"Then what are you doing up here?" asked James, looking from his friend to Lily. He realized he still had his hands on her waist and dropped them mess with his hair. "You snuck out-"
"She was teaching me how to brew the antidote to a love potion," said Remus quickly, looking to Lily for confirmation.
"Yeah," she nodded. "That rumor is still about, and I thought… might be good to have some on hand. I wanted to make sure I got it right, so I asked Remus to help me."
"Since when do you need help with Potions?" asked James skeptically. "Since when are you good at Potions?" he asked Remus.
"Hey," he scoffed. "I got an E. I can brew an antidote."
"I'm not saying that… you're just always on about how you hate it and-
"I thought about asking you," Lily interrupted, hoping to distract James. "But I worried you might tell me I was barmy and to not worry about it, or that I was worried you were going to slip me one."
"I would have helped you," said James earnestly. "I would have- you know I'm not, right? I wouldn't do that."
"I know," Lily replied. "But you also had Quidditch practice and other things going on, so I just asked Remus to help while we were on Prefect duty."
She began to walk away, and James watched her as she went. "We'd better get back to the party before anyone else starts looking," she said matter-of-factly.
Remus nodded in agreement, starting forward with Peter at his heels. James caught up with him a moment later. "You really weren't snogging her?"
"No," Remus stressed. "No… why would you think I'd do that to you?"
James shrugged. "Maybe she fancies you. Maybe she… you don't hound after her or stalk her, after all."
"Linghold doesn't do that either and she doesn't fancy him."
"Yeah, well Linghold is a prat," James asserted. "You're not."
"She doesn't like me, Prongs," Remus assured him. Why were you dancing-"
"She just grabbed me," sputtered James. "I didn't want to be rude. She's so… forceful."
"Who's forceful?" asked Lily, slowing her pace so she could walk beside James.
"Flockhart," he replied. "I would have come with you two if I'd known you were going somewhere, but…she grabbed me, and I didn't want to be rude."
Lily smiled a little. "You're very polite. She can be forceful; she likes to have her way, I think. Have you ever seen her in Charms when she can't get something? She throws a right little tantum."
James chuckled, thinking he'd have to pay a little more attention to Felicity in Charms. Though he knew he wouldn't do this as Lily was the only one ever watched in that class. They reached the Great Hall to find it emptier than before; just a few stragglers remained around the edges, and a few dancers left out on the floor. A new song had just started. It was languid and sweet.
"Should we close it down?" James asked Lily, offering his hand. His stomach swooped again when she fixed her green-eyed gaze on him. James noticed her cheeks were a little pink, which somehow made her even more attractive.
"Yes, lets," she replied, smiling brightly and taking his offered hand. They walked close to the stage, tucked in a corner far away from the other remaining stragglers. For the second time this year, James Potter had managed to get Lily Evans alone… or, at least, alone with no one in the immediate area around them.
He took her by the waist, holding one of her hands in his like he'd seen his dad do with his mum, and pulled her very close. She inhaled a little fast, offering a shy smile as they slowly turned on the spot. Lily was shaking just a bit, or was that him? He stared at her eyes, suddenly feeling immensely nervous about the state of his hair, and his lopsided glasses, and the old-fashioned doublet he was wearing with the red robes, and the hat… the stupid-
"I never did try on your hat," she mused.
"It would just yell at you that you're a Gryffindor," he said dismissively. "You already know that."
"Well, still… its impressive magic."
James nodded, pleased at the compliment. "You can play the violin; you make your own costumes… I'm not the only one who's impressive."
She grinned at him. "No, you're not I suppose. Good of you to realize it."
It was James' turn to laugh. "I realize it a lot more than I let on."
He let go of her hand for a moment to push a strand of hair out of her face. She flushed and tucked it behind her ear. "You're… your eyes are mesmerizing," James said quietly.
She looked startled. Pleased, but startled. "That's a big word for 'green', Potter."
"I mean it… it feels like the right word," said James, looking a little pink in the cheeks himself. "You look at me and I feel like my insides are in the wrong place."
"Why?" she asked, suddenly serious. "I would like to know why. And don't say my eyes, or that I'm pretty. That's nice – I mean… It's really nice, thank you, but… I'm curious as to why-"
"Why I keep persisting?"
"Yes," Lily confirmed. "Especially since I was never anything but dismissive toward you prior to this year."
James shrugged a little uncomfortably. "I couldn't tell you… I mean, I could. I could give you a lot of adjectives as to why I fancy you: smart, energetic, witty, funny… kind… but I don't think you want that as an answer," he said, watching her nod in confirmation. "I mean... it started, obviously, because you are so pretty…and maybe I kept at it because you … you've always been the one thing I can't have."
"I'm not a possession," Lily replied sternly.
"That's not… that's not what I meant, I know that," James assured her. "I just fancy you… why wouldn't I fancy you? Let's try it a different way. You tell me why I shouldn't fancy you," he suggested.
Lily looked a little alarmed. She didn't really know how to respond. "Well, I've turned you down countless times. I've called you names, I've… boxed you on the ears after you sent me those singing flowers-"
"I kind of deserved that," he admitted.
"I can't imagine still fancying someone after all that," she finished. "It was perfectly clear that I wasn't interested."
James considered this thoughtfully, then looked back at her with a rueful little smile. "I knew you weren't, but I couldn't exactly shut it off… especially since we kind of live together and you are in all of my classes. But this year – er… last year, things changed? Maybe?"
Lily blushed as she considered this. "They did… I don't hate you. I mean, I never hated you, but I think you are less of a bullying toerag now."
"Here's something," said James, taking her hand again. "You didn't flip out when you found out about Moony. You didn't nark me out about being an Animagus. That… it proved I was right."
"Right about what?" she asked.
"Right that you are loyal, and trustworthy. I trust you… even if you boxed my ears, I trust you. And… when you look at me my insides feel like they're in the wrong place."
"It's uncomfortable, isn't it?" she asked with a small grin.
James shrugged. "It's not bad. It's nice sometimes. Like… when you smile at me, or when you let me dance with you. Then it's nice."
Lily grinned and shook her head a little. She chewed her lip as she looked up at him again. James swallowed. There was this electricity in between them he couldn't place. He felt it when they were on the broomstick. He dropped her hand and placed both his on her waist; she linked her fingers together around his neck.
James swallowed again. "Can I kiss you?"
"What?"
"What?" he squealed in reply, watching Lily back away from him a bit. "I…well…I mean…that's not the way to do it, is it? That's… that makes it awkward. This is awkward now."
Lily chuckled, her face so red she blended in with her hair. "Uh… a little bit, yeah."
"I'm sorry," He frowned, feeling heat all over his neck and cheeks. "I should have just gone for it, 'eh?"
"Er…" Lily grimaced, though she didn't know why. She had gotten much closer to him since school started; ever since the train ride home last year actually. He wasn't all bad, he wasn't even a little bad. Rebellious and mischievous maybe, but not bad. She'd seen he was loyal, and kind, and fiercely protective of those he cared about. He was funny, he was clever, he was… a little adorable with his lopsided glasses and his messy hair. James' cheeks were red, and he looked, for the first time Lily had ever seen, rather unsure of himself. She chewed her lip. Why shouldn't she want him to kiss her?
"Better not, huh…" said James, responding to her silence.
"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Maybe… maybe we should just go up," Lily suggested, pulling away from his arms. She felt sad, but didn't really understand why.
"Yeah," said James. "I ruined it, didn't I? That was a moment."
Lily shrugged. "You didn't… ruin anything, James. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."
James messed up his hair even more, shaking off the feeling of despair creeping over him. He glanced at Lily as they walked up the stairs, a grin spreading across his face. "I'm growing on you, though… right? Right?" he teased.
"You were," she warned. "You were cute just now. Don't push it."
James chuckled, watching her fight back a grin. Maybe the next time there was a moment he wouldn't ask; he'd just kiss her.
A/N: Thanks everyone so much for the wonderful comments! I really do appreciate them so much. Have a great holiday those who celebrate Thanksgiving!